2705. There was then a conversation with spirits about these matters, and I was informed that such cannot be tolerated among other spirits but are rejected as excrements from their societies, a firmly established process resulting from the laws of order of earthly, spiritual, and heavenly things, about which they also spoke with me. For all heavenly society is founded in marriage love, from which all loves and feelings of goodness are derived, consequently in innocence.
These principles both of love and of innocence they try to destroy with their lusts, for they are not only entirely against marriage love, which they hold in hatred, but they are also against innocence, which they injure even to the point of killing, besides which they lead the innocent, who can be imbued with marriage love, to live afterwards in prostitution, thus murdering their deeper nature. For it is well enough known that the first flower of love introduces virgins to marriage love and joins together the souls of the partners. About these things spirits spoke with me.
2705. Concerning these I then conversed with spirits, and was informed, that such cannot be tolerated among other spirits, but are rejected like excrements from their societies, which also flows confirmed from the laws of order of natural and spiritual and celestial things, concerning which they also spoke with me: for every celestial society is founded in conjugial love, from which all good loves and affections are derived: thus [they are founded] in innocence. Such [persons] endeavor to destroy with their cupidities the principles of love as well as of innocence, for these are not wholly opposed [contra] to all conjugial love, which they hold in hatred, but also are opposed to innocence, which they so injure that they may kill it: besides which they induce innocent [persons] who can be imbued with conjugial love, to live afterwards in harlotry, thus are the murderers [homicidia, I think] of the interior nature: for it is well known that the first flower of love is what inducts virgins into conjugial love, and conjoins [conectit] the minds [animos] of husband and wife [conjugum]. Spirits spoke with me of these things.)
2705. De iis tunc loquela fuit cum spiritibus, et informatus sum, quod tales inter alios spiritus non tolerari possint, sed rejiciantur sicut excrementa ab eorum societatibus, quod etiam ex legibus ordinis naturalium, spiritualium, et coelestium confirmatum fluit, de quibus etiam loquuti mecum sunt, nam omnis societas coelestis fundata est in amore conjugiali, a quo omnes amores et affectiones boni derivantur, sic in innocentia; tales principia tam amoris quam innocentiae cupiditatibus suis destruere conantur, nam non solum ii prorsus contra amorem conjugialem sunt, quem odio habent, sed etiam contra innocentiam, quam ita laedunt, ut occidant, praeter quod inducant innocentes, qui amore conjugiali possint imbui, ut in meretricatu postea vivant, sic sunt homicidia interioris naturae; nam satis notum est, quod primus flos amoris sit qui inducit virgines in amorem conjugialem, et connectit animas 1
conjugum; de quibus loquuti mecum sunt spiritus.
Footnotes:
1. in J.F.I. Tafel's edition animos (sed cf. De Amore Conjugiali 504)